What Is AusLink?

When introduced in 2004 by the Federal government, AusLink was designed to improve decision-making and funding for national land transport infrastructure. There were 550 written submissions from industry and the public supporting a need for governments ‘to better coordinate and resource their roles in infrastructure development while delivering national solutions’. (Endnote 1)

AusLink was implemented in July 2004 as a single, flexible program for Australia’s future land transport investment. It replaced the 1991 funding agreement between the Commonwealth and the States for road and rail transport infrastructure which were considered separately.

Key features of AusLink provide for:

a defined single National Network of important road and rail infrastructure links and their intermodal connections;
a National Land Transport Plan designed to integrate planning and investment on the National Network; and
earmarked funding for local and regional transport improvements.

Funding Programs

The AusLink (National Land Transport) Act 2005 provides the legal basis for the operation of AusLink and the following six separate funding programs:

AusLink national projects;
transport development and innovation program;
land transport research entities;
strategic regional program;
black spot program; and
roads to recovery program.

Further information on these funding programs is provided on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government website - www.infrastructure.gov.au

National Investment Priorities 2004/05 to 2008/09

The Australian government set the following categories of investment priorities for the initial AusLink program:

interstate corridor investments;
inter-regional corridor investments;
capital city urban corridor investments;
rail system investments;
network-wide investments including corridor strategies, maintenance, providing for higher mass limits, intermodal developments and technology investments; and
local and regional transport investments.

Planning and Corridor Strategies

A long-term multimodal planning framework was to be established to ensure Australian government funding is targeted at projects on the AusLink Network that deliver high levels of national benefit.

A key component of better coordinated planning is a series of 24 corridor strategies prepared for each of the corridors on the AusLink Network comprising inter-capital routes, Capital cities and specific key intra-state corridors. These include identified major challenges and deficiencies in each of the corridors following consultation with key stakeholders and industry groups. The draft Corridor Strategies are awaiting Ministerial approval.

The corridor planning process also seeks to provide the private sector with investment opportunities.

AusLink Funding

Funding provided under the initial 5-year AusLink program from 2004/05 to 2008/09 will total around $15 billion.

Budget allocations for the second 5-year period from 2009/10 to 2013/14 are $22.3 billion. The Corridor Strategies are expected to determine the priority projects for funding.

AusLink and Rail Investment

Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)

ARTC, a company whose shares are fully owned by the Australian government, was established in 1998 to manage and develop Australia’s interstate track infrastructure as a single entity.

This has been achieved through ownership or long-term leases of the interstate track from Kalgoorlie to the NSW/Queensland border together with an agreement with the WA government to sell access to the Kalgoorlie-Perth/Port of Kwinana corridor. ARTC also leases the NSW Hunter Valley coal network and NSW regional rail lines (Merrygoen-Ulan and Parkes-Werris Creek).

As well as funding its own capital investment program, ARTC was provided with $2.4 billion from the initial AusLink funding program for rail infrastructure improvements plus $613 million for projects on the AusLink National Network. A further $820 million was provided to ARTC by the Federal government which it is using on various projects on the Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane corridor.

AusLink and Public Transport

The Federal government has historically held the view that public transport is a State responsibility. The 2004 AusLink White Paper reinforced this view with the following statements:

‘(Public transport) is primarily a State and Territory government responsibility. The Australian government considers that State and Territory governments are best placed to deal with the metropolitan and local complexities of public transport. The Australian government’s role has focussed, and will continue to focus, on interstate connectivity and trade and commerce between the States and with other nations. That said, the government accepts that AusLink will deliver opportunities to simultaneously deal with national objectives and help to address the externalities – notably congestion, noise, and pollutant emissions – that occur almost exclusively in urban areas’ (Endnote 1).
'The Australian government’s position is that funding urban public transport systems is fundamentally a State responsibility as these systems primarily serve and deliver localised passenger movements and localised benefits. However, this should not be an impediment to urban public transport being considered when the AusLink National Network and its connections to the broader urban network are planned. There would be benefits from improving cooperation on passenger transport policies undertaken by governments at all levels, under the auspices of the Australian Transport Council’ (Endnote 1).

Despite significantly increased focus and investment in public transport in recent years, current policies are not making any substantial inroads into changing travel behaviour. Recent rising fuel prices has seen many daily commuters getting out of their cars and onto public transport but many services are already at or approaching capacity, particularly in peak periods.

Changing travel behaviour to avoid the negative impacts of the large and growing dependence on private motor vehicles in our cities requires a concerted and coordinated approach and a sustained commitment involving Commonwealth, State and Local governments, the business community and public transport operators.

Recent Related Developments

Since the November 2007 Federal election, the Commonwealth and State governments have ‘agreed to a new model of cooperation underpinned by more effective working arrangements’ (Endnote 2). This has resulted in the following actions to date affecting transport:

Formation of Infrastructure Australia to coordinate infrastructure for transport, energy, water and telecommunications in Australia. An audit of national infrastructure is to identify bottlenecks and deficiencies prior to the development of future strategies.
The Australian Transport Council (ATC), comprising Australia’s Transport Ministers, have agreed that ‘Australia requires a safe, secure, efficient, reliable and integrated national transport system that supports and enhances our nation’s economic development and social and environmental well-being’ and have adopted guiding objectives and principles for achieving a National Transport Policy. (Endnote 3)

Acknowledgement

Detailed background information about AusLink has been sourced from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government website www.infrastructure.gov.au

Endnotes

1. Department of Transport and Regional Services, AusLink White Paper, Canberra, June 2004, pgs 1, 9 and 118.
2. Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Communique, 20 December 2007.
3. Australian Transport Council, Joint Communique, 2 May 2008.

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